FBI warns accountants over fake wire transfer requests from your boss

FBI warns accountants over fake wire transfer requests from your boss

DENVER — The FBI is warning employees in accounting departments to look out for scam emails that appear to come from their bosses.

The fraudulent emails look like they are from company executives and request that large wire transfers be “coded to” a department within the company, said FBI spokesman Dave S. Joly.

Messages are addressed to the company’s controller, treasurer or accounting officer and contain an attachment with detailed instructions, Joly said.

The sender’s email address is usually similar to the company’s domain name or handle, with a single extra letter or number inserted. For example, the email address “yourboss@legitimatecompany.com” may be replaced by “yourboss@legitimatecomipany.com.”

A similar incident hit the Seattle area in December, where companies were led to believe that they were sending money to established supply partners in China. Instead, the bank accounts belonged to “fraudsters,” Joly said.

If you believe your company was a victim of the scam, file a complaint at www.ic3.gov that includes: how, when and why you were contacted, actual amounts of potential losses, header information from emails and any identifying information of the perpetrators.